Container



March l, 1938.

H. si-:BELL 2,110,097

CONTAINER Filed Oct. 21, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Yigg.

Inve nToT 4I 6 23 38 Harry Sebell bymjwm yMmh 1, 1938.

H. sl-:BELL 2,110,097

CONTAINER Filed Oct. 2l, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 22 A I lys.

lPatented Mar; 1,1938

UNITI-:D STATE- Thisinvention relates to cans of that type in which thetop end of the can is formed with a member I4; filling opening through'which the can is filled and which is subsequently sealed by means of a5 sealingclos'ure.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a can Aof this typewith a -novel sealing closure which is formed with a tear strip portionso that by tearing the tear strip portion loose from the cember 3, 1935.sealing closure a pouring opening will be formed I have hereinillustrated my invention therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to provide I the sealing closure ofa can of this type with a tear strip portion which whenY torn loose fromthe can remains permanently connected to the l sealing closure, andwhichwhen open provides a spout member or lip over which the contents ofthe.. can flow when being discharged through the pouring opening. Otherobjects of the invention are to improve generally cans of this type inthe particulars more fully hereinafter set In order to give anunderstanding of the invention, I have illustrated in the drawings aselected embodiment thereof which will now-be described after which thenovel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings;

bodying my invention;

2.110.097 CONTAINER Harry Schell, Boston, Mass., assignor of one-A halfto Arthur IL Parker, Concord, Mass.

Application October 21, 1936, Serial No. 106,755

6 Claims. (Cl. 22h-11)' invention.

sv IPATENT ol-FICE Fig. 15 shows a perspective view of the cover Fig. 16is an enlarged sectional view similar to Fig. 'I but showing a differentform of the In some respects my improved container is an improvement onor modification of the construction illustrated in my Patent No.2,023,151, De-

as it; 10 might be applied to a container inthe form of` a tin can, andI indicates the can body and 2 the topend of the can. The can end 2 maybe secured to the body in any suitable way as by lmeans of the doublelock seam 3. The can end 2 is formed with a filling opening 4 throughwhich the can is lled. The can end 2 is shown as having an upstandingflange or curb 5 surrounding the lling opening 4 to which a sealingclosure .5 is crimped after the can has been filled.. In cans of thistype the sealing closure is frequently formed at its periphery with theU- 14 is as ection on the line |4-I4, Fig. 11; the tear vstrip. portionis tonguepart of the present invention.

According to the present improvements the sealing closure 6 is formedwith a tear, strip portion designed tov be torn loose from said closurethereby to form a pouring opening therethrough. 'I'he tear strip portionis so made that when it is torn loose toform the; pouring opening" itremains permanently connected to the closure, andl when in open-positionit forms a lip cr spout extending from the pouring opening and overwhich'the contents of the can flow when being discharged from the can.This tear strip portion y of the closure is indicated at II in Figs. 4to 9 land at 4I in Figs. 10 to 14, and it is formed by providing theclosure 6 with a line of weakness along which the tear strip can bereadily torn from the body of the closure. This line of weaks'hapedportion 1 which embraces the flange 5, the inner leg 8 of the U-shapedportion resting against the inside of the flange 5 and the outer leg 9encircling the outer face of said ilange 5. An hermetic or tight seal isusually formed by crimping the flange or skirt 9 to the curb 5, and,Fig. l is apartial sectional view of a can emif desired, suitablepacking material .I0 may be I y deposited in the U portion 1 of thesealing closure 30 Fig. 2 is a similar sectional view showing the beforeitis applied to the upstanding curb 5. can before the sealing closure isapplied to the lling opening;

Fig. 3 shows the can opened for the discharge of part of or all of itscontents;

, It is also'morc or less common to form the sealing opening 4 near oneedge of the can as illustrated in the drawings.

/ 'Ihe construction thus far described is such as Fig. 4 is a. plan viewo' the sealing closure ilmay be found in Cans 0f this type and fOrmS n0lustrating one type of line of weakness;

Fig. 5 is a plan lview of A theY sealingclosure after the cover memberhas been applied=thereto and said closure is ready to be used in sealingthe filling opening of the can I;

Fig. 6 is a section-on the line Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 1 1, Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8, Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing the manner of makingthe line of weakness illustrated in Figs. 4 to 8;

Fig. 10 is a plan view o f a vsealing closure-having a diflerentformof-linefof weakness; Y

Fig.A` 11 is a plan view of the sealing closure s hown in Fig. 10` withthe cover member attached; Fig. 12 is a section on the line I2-I2, Fig.10; `1"18- 13"iS 8 560154011 0n .the line -li, Fig'- 11; `liesspreferably has a gemeral U shape so that shaped.

The line of weakness may be formed in any appropriate Way. In Figs. 4 to9 it is formed by cutting through the closure along the line I2 and ithenapplying a thin film of sold'er.22 along the line of the cut,preferably on the inside of the closure, to close the slit I2. Thesolder 22 hermetically seals the slit in the closure, but it hasseparation of the. tear st rp from the closure along the-line ofweakness will provide a tongue-shaped portion which remainspermanentlyattached to the closure butwhich can be swung into open or closedposition, the material o'f the closure bend'l l ing along the line I3 topermit such opening and closing movement. Thermaterial along the line I3thus acts as a hinge for the tear strip portion. The line of weaknessbounding the tongue'- shaped tear strip may assume various shapes andcontours. In Figs.. 4 and 5 it is shownwasbeing circular, except at theends, a shape which will produce a broad tongue-shaped tear strip. InFigs. 10 and 11 the line of weakness has a shape to ,forma tongue-shapedtear strip which is narrowest at its tip and which has a progressively-.increasing width toward the base.

In 'order to provide for applying the necessary 4force to the tear'stripto tear it loose from the closure along the line of weakness, I pro#pose to secure to the tear strip a cover member constructed so that itcan be readily acted on by a suitable implement toapply the' requisiteforce to the tear strip.

In Figs. 5 to 8 thecover member is indicated at I4 and-it is soldered orotherwise permanently secured to the tongue-shaped tear strip', as shownat 24. For this purpose the cover niember is shown as provided with anopening 3D through which the solder 24 may be applied.

This cover member is also formedwith a 10op portion 25 adapted toreceive one end of a screw-driver or any other suitable implement 26,

' as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, and by which the necessary liftingor v prying force can be applied to the cover member and thereby to thetear strip to tear it looose from the closure. This loop.25 canbeconveniently formed `by slitting the c`over member along the lines 35and then strikingv up the slit portion from the. body of the covermember to provide the loop.

In Figs. l1 to 14-the cover member is indicated at 21 and it is spotWelded or riveted to the tear strip, as shown at 28. In this embodimentof the invention the edge 2'9 of the tear strip provides a lip underwhich the end of a suitable implement may be placed, so that bypryingwith the implement over the edge' 1 of theclosure the 'tear stripmay be torn l'oose from the closure.v

A. diiferent embodiment of the invention is shown in lFig. 16 whereinthe cover member is indicated at 39 and it is secured tothe tear stripportion 4I by means of a rivet 38.

a head 43. This head forms the means by which the prying force can. beapplied to the-`cover and thence yto the tear strip portion 4|rto tearThis rivet has integral therewith the extension 42 provided with.

the latter loose from the closure 6. The extension 42 also provides aknob by which the 1 cover member and its connected tear strip may bemanipulated for opening and closing the pouring opening. A,

In the construction shown in Fig. 16 the single element, i. e., therivet 38 with its headed extension 42 provides both the means forsecuring the cover member 39 to the tear strip and also the means bywhich the prying force is applied' to the cover member.

The cover member is preferably somewhat larger than the tear stripportion I I and as hereinshown one edge I6 oi' the cover member is insubstantial alinement with the line I3 along which the closure -memberben'ds when Vit is y opened and closed, and the opposite edge I1 extendssomewhat beyond the end of the tear strip. The dimensions of the covermember I4 in a direction transverse to the tear strip II may beconveniently such that the ends I8 of the cover `member fit against theinner legs 8 of.

.the..U portion I of the sealing closure.

Where the lling 'opening 4 is adjacent one edge of the can end 2 asherein shown, the sealing closure will preferably be so positioned on.the can end that the tongue-shaped tear strip i'sdi- -rected toward thecenter and the hinge portion I3 for the tear strip is nearestto the sideof the can.

The ca n may be opened by inserting a suitable instrument, such as ascrew-driver 26, through the loop 25 of the cover member, as shown inFig. l, and then applying a prying vfoi-ceto the implement in thedirection of the arrow a in Fig. l, or by placing the end of theimplement underneath the edge or lip 29 in Fig. 13 and exerting a pryingforce on the implement using the edge I of the closure as a fulcrum, orby applying suitable prying or lifting force to the knob portion 42 inFig. 16. In all cases this pryingaction will tear -the tear strip loosefrom the closure along the line of weakness, thereby forming a pouringopening I9. When the tear strip II and the cover member are swungoutwardly into their open position shown in Fig. 3, said tear "strip andcover form a lip` or spout projecting from the pouring opening I9andf-over which the contents ofthe can loW when being discharged.

The sealing closure preferably has a concavoconvex shape With the convexface on the exterior and the cover member may be conveniently given asimilar shape. With this construction,

when the tear strip and cover member are in open position, the facethereof over which the contents of the can flow has a concave or scoopor spout shape which prevents the stream flowing from'the pouringopening from spreading and serves to guide it in its flow. A

The pouring opening is preferably situated close enough to the side wallof the can so that when-the tear strip and cover member are in theiropen position they will direct the stream issuing from the pouringopening over theredge '28' f the can, 4'as shown in-Fig. 3, therebypreventing any of the contents of the can from flowing onto and soilingthe end'of the can.

If the contents of the can are of such a nature :that only a portionthereof is to be discharged at any one time, then When the desiredquantity has been poured out of the.can,.the tear strip and cover membermay swung back 4into closed positioniri which position the tear stripfills the pouring opening and the cover member I4 overlies the joint atthe edge of the tear strip. The can may bevreadily opened again in orderto discharge more of its contents by simply swinging the tear strip andcover member back into the open position.

The can can thus be repeatedly opened for the discharge oi a portion ofits .contents and then closed again, and while, after the iirst openingthe can will not be hermetically sealed when it is closed, yet the covermember aiords a sufiicient protection for the pouring opening to-preventany dirt or foreign substance from gaining access to the can.

It is expected that the can I will be made, in the rst instance, withthe can end provided 1 with the iilling opening as shown in Fig. 2, andthat the sealing closure 6 with its line of weakness and with the covermember attached thereto will be made as a separate complete unit. Aftera 4can has been iilled then a sealing closure em- 0 bodying theinvention is applied to the lling opening to seal the can. The presenceof the cover member and line of Weakness does not interfere at all withthe crimping of the flange 9 of the sealing closure to the curb of thefilling 25 vopening by the crimping machines now in common use.

When the can gets into the hands of the ultimate consumer, however, hehas a can which he can readily open as above described and which is 36provided with a cover for the. pouring opening.

While I have illustrated some embodiments of the invention, I do notwish to be limited to the constructionai features shown.

I claim:

35 1. A container having in its end a lling opening, a sealing closurefor sealing the opening, said closure being provided with a U-shapedline of weakness dening a tongue-shaped tear strip having its tipdirected away from the edge of the 40 container end and which, when'tornfrom the closure, leaves a pouring opening therethrough, a cover memberpermanently secured to the tear strip and by which it may be torn loosefrom the closure, the base of said tongue-shaped tear strip beingpermanently secured to the closure, wherecover member may be turned backinto a position with the tip of the tear strip directed outwardly fromthe center of the container end and into a.

"o position in which said tear strip and cover form a discharge spoutfor the pouring opening. 2. A container having a lling opening,surrounded by an upstanding curb, a sealing closure 55 for sealing saidopening and provided with a U- shaped rim portion embracing the curb,the body of the closure being provided with a U-shaped line of weaknessdefining a tongue-shaped tear strip which is permanently secured to theclosure but which is adapted to be torn loose therefrom along the lineof weakness thereby to leave a pouring opening, a cover member securedto the tear strip andby which the latter may be torn loose from theAclosure by an implement which by when the tear strip is torn from theclosure is fulcrumed on the marginal portion of the closure, said tear'strip and cover adapted when turned into open positionto form adischarge spout for the pouring opening. y f

3. A container having a filling opening in one end thereof, a sealingclosure for sealing said opening, said closure being formed with a U-shaped line of weakness defining a tongue-shaped tear 'strip permanentlysecured to the closure and which, when torn from the closure, leaves apouring opening therethrough, a cover member overlying the tear stripand secured thereto and provided with a knob member by means of which aprying force may-be applied to the cover member and thence to the tearstrip to tear the latter loose from the closure thereby to form apouring opening.

4. A container having a filling opening, a sealing closure for sealingsaid opening, said closure being provided with a U-shaped line ofWeakness dening a tongue-shaped tear strip which is permanently securedto the closure and which, when torn loose from the closure, leaves apouring opening, and a cover member secured to the tear strip andoverlying the latter, said cover member having a loop portion to receivean implement by which the tear strip can be torn from the closure.

5. A container having in one end wall thereof a U- shaped line ofweakness deiining a tongueshaped tear strip which, when torn from thewall,

leaves a pouring opening therethrough, said tear i strip having its tipdirected inwardly away from the peripheral portion of the container end,a cover member permanently secured to the tear strip and by which it maybe torn loose from said wall,4 said tear strip being permanently securedto the wall and adapted, when torn therefrom, to be turned back towardthe peripheral' portion of the can end and into a position in which itand the cover member form a discharge spout for the pouring opening,said cover member being of sufficient size to project over the edge ofthe container 4when it is in its discharge-spout position.

6. A container having a U-shaped line of weakness in one end wallthereof defining a tongueshaped tear strip which, when torn from thewall, leaves a pouring opening therethrough, said tear strip lhaving itstip directed inwardly away from the peripheral portion of the can end,a. cover member having a concave inner face, which cover member ispermanently secured to the tear strip and by which it may be torn loosefrom said wall, said cover member being of a size to overlie the line ofweakness and said tear strip being permanently secured to the wall andadapted, when torn therefrom, to be turned back toward the peripheralportion of the can end and

